Symbiosis
by dabbling
Summary: Goren and Eames figure out they need each other. Hurt/Comfort as well as what I marked below for Genre. I just can't help myself.
1. Chapter 1

Symbiosis

It didn't make any sense. Goren was only gone for a couple of days. No reason for Alex to feel the way she did.

But as she kicked around 1PP, following up on cold cases and lending a hand to anyone who needed it, she felt an odd sensation. Like when you get used to carrying a water bottle in your backpack and suddenly it's not there and then you can't seem to get the thing to fit you right.

Only it was more than just that he wasn't with her.

She also felt a little empty inside.

* * *

Bobby listened to the team as he doodled in his binder. The group was somewhat effective, except for the seasoned veteran, Marnell, who always commandeered command of the group and then wasted time philosophizing about police work in general. This was the third meeting he'd endured today, and he was starting to lose his patience.

Bobby tore the doodle page out of his ledger and got to his feet as he loudly crumpled it into a ball. At 6'4, standing in the middle of the group, all eyes were on him. He looked at each of them in turn, then silently flicked the paper wad into the trash can in the corner.

"Did you have a suggestion, Detective?" Marnell asked.

Bobby gave a shy smile and waggled his head slightly as he started to speak. "Yeah, I, you know… I think instead of sitting here filling the room with hot air you might want to go out and do some interviews."

Marnell's face hardened. "Who, exactly, would we interview? We've already talked to everyone on the list."

Bobby looked at the young female detective in the group. She was new to detective work, and was too timid yet to share her ideas in front of the team. Bobby had eaten lunch with her, however, and he knew she had some good insight into the case. "A-ask Lindsey. She knows."

The men all turned their attention to her. Bobby stared at her too, but his eyes were kind.

She shrugged. "I thought that Austin might be lying. I thought maybe if we put the pressure on him again, he might give us something."

Marnell scoffed and turned to Goren. "This guy give you that idea? He's a wank from the city. He doesn't know these country folks like we do."

Bobby's blood was boiling. For a split second he wished he had Eames with him. He turned slowly and quietly spoke. "I'm a… a wank? Your captain called me in, here. A special invitation."

Marnell stood in front of Goren and glared up into his eyes. "Well, I'm telling you we don't need you. You can get your happy ass back into a car and head out right now, for all I care."

"Marnell," Jus said. "Back off, Marnell. Take a breather."

"I don't need a—"

Bobby didn't back down, and neither did Marnell. Jus took Marnell by the shoulders. "C'mon, let's go for a walk." Slowly, he got the old man to back down and leave with him.

Bobby was left with the other two detectives. "You think Austin knows more?" The young guy asked his colleague.

She nodded. "When he spoke, he always rubbed the back of his thumb with his hand. It was a… it was his nerves. Only I noticed he did it more on certain questions."

"Well, why? Who is he protecting?"

Bobby paced a few steps away and smiled to himself as he listened. The young girl was coming out of her shell.

* * *

"Hi, Bobby. Everything okay?" Eames asked.

He rubbed the back of his neck. She'd picked up on something in his tone of voice. "Uh, yeah, you know… just wish I was home."

"Things aren't going so well? Are you okay?"

"I'm okay. I'm okay." He knew she wouldn't let it go at that, so he thought about what he should say. After a moment, he said, "It's not the same, you know?"

"Yeah. I know."

"So, what about you? Things going well there?"

"Yeah," she replied, but there wasn't much force behind it.

"Eames?"

"It's just kind of… lonely without you, Bobby. Like you said, it's not the same."

"I'll be back tomorrow night."

"I'm glad."

"Good night, Eames."

"Good night, Bobby."

* * *

She spent the morning studying the computer files belonging to one of Jeffries' suspects. She read them and reread them, caught up in the work. Suddenly, she looked up and opened her mouth to speak, but Bobby's desk was vacant.

Alex closed her mouth. She sighed, and then got up to go find Jeffries.

* * *

Austin led them to Janet, who led them to Levon. Levon was in interrogation by 2 in the afternoon. Goren watched from the observation room, offering suggestions and comments when he could.

Most of them were receptive to him, except for Marnell. Now, Marnell had pulled rank on his team and was locking horns with the suspect.

He was losing him. The man was closing off against Marnell, and their window of opportunity was closing. Bobby made a few quiet comments, but the others in Marnell's squad were in no position to step in.

Finally, Goren couldn't stand it anymore. He spun on his heel, and marched around the corner and into the interrogation room.

"Uhm, excuse me, uh, sorry. I just… Could I?" he asked Levon politely.

The man was thrown by his arrival. He nodded, and Goren dragged a chair across the floor until it was next to Levon. He sat down and leaned close to the man.

"I've been, uh, you know, watching, from over there." Bobby wagged his hand toward the two way mirror.

"Goren, I've had enough—" Marnell said, a nasty tone on his lips.

"And I noticed that you… you keep shifting your weight to your left hip. Did you, you know, did you hurt yourself? I mean, 'cause these chairs aren't very comfortable and if you have a pinched nerve or something…"

Marnell looked over to his partner, astonished that Goren was ignoring him.  
"Yeah, I got this nerve, and I can't seem to get comfortable."

"How'd you pinch it? I know that's very painful."

"I don't know, I just woke up like this…"

"Could be a herniated disc. You know, the disc, it puts pressure… on the nerve." Bobby illustrated with his hands. "You should see a doctor."

The man was all ears for Goren, now.

"Of course, you could have hurt your back… falling or something."

"Somebody get this guy out of here," Marnell complained.

"Goren," the other Detective said. "Goren, c'mon."

"Just a minute," Bobby said, holding a finger up in the air. "Levon was about to tell me how he thinks he injured his back."

"I don't know, I probably fell down."

Bobby reached across the desk and pulled the stack of crime scene photos away from Marnell. He put one in front of the man. "Like, maybe, tripping over a chair like this? I almost tripped over that chair. Do you know where this is?"

"That… that looks like Terrell's apartment."

"It is Terrell's apartment. When was the last time you were there? Last week?" Bobby snapped a finger. "Tuesday. I remember. You saw him on Tuesday."

"No, you got it wrong."

"Yes, because Janet said—"

"Janet doesn't know shit! I was there last Saturday. Not fucking Tuesday!"

"Oh. Saturday?"

The man nodded.

Bobby paused in thought, and Marnell took it as his cue to butt in. "All right, I think we've had enough of this little sideshow."

"Just a minute!" Bobby said enthusiastically. He poked a finger against Marnell's ribs, and the man's blood pressure went up. "Saturday?" Bobby asked Levon.

"Yeah. I was there on Saturday. I had to drop off the…" His voice tapered away.

Bobby's friendly tone changed to deadly serious. He lowered his voice and looked Levon in the eye. "What did you drop off, Levon?"

"Th-the…"

"I mean, you… you gotta tell us. This could be the thing that clears you…"

"I was delivering a package for Austin. I think it was guns."

"You think? Or you know?"

"Look, I didn't see them, all right? But it was supposed to have been two guns."

"How big was the box?"

"About like this."

"How much did it weigh?"

"I don't know… maybe… like six pounds?"

Goren looked over at Marnell's partner, who had finally realized he'd just broken open the case. The man walked over and sat down, eager to interrogate Levon further. Bobby got to his feet and strutted out, unaware that Marnell followed after him.

Bobby entered the observation room and the older Detective called him out. "If you so much as set foot in my interrogation again, I swear to God, I'll—" he threatened.

Bobby turned to face him. He said nothing, but the look in his eye could have killed.

Marnell was the first to budge. He bumped Bobby hard, and the two ended up in a prizefighter's hold. Finally the other Detectives managed to break them apart. The young woman ushered Goren out of the room quickly.

She tried to talk to him, but he stormed away.

God, he wished Eames was with him.

* * *

Goren drove into the city and was on his way home when his cell phone rang. "Goren," he grunted. "Yes, Captain. I'll be right there." He turned the wheel and headed for 1PP.

Alex wasn't at her desk. He walked past and knocked on the Captain's door.

"Come in, Detective," Ross said.

Bobby took two steps and stopped.

"I got a call from the Captain over there. He said you, uh… overstepped."

"Overstepped?" Bobby pretended to be clueless.

"Something about Detective Marnell?"

Bobby reached up to rub his neck, and Ross knew enough. "Yeah, he's uh… very territorial."

"I didn't send you over there to mark territory."

"Captain, he was hindering the progress of the case."

"Says you."

"They could all see it. Only they were too… too timid to do anything about it."

Ross scrutinized Goren carefully. Finally, he nodded. "All right. Good night, Detective. See you in the morning."

Goren nodded and then left. He nearly tripped over Eames as he rounded their desks. "Oh, uh, hey!" he said cheerfully.

She smiled at him. "Hi, Bobby. You're, uh… you just get back?"

"Yeah. Uh, I'm done for the day. You?"

"Yeah."

"Maybe we could… go get dinner?"

"Sure."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Of course, it all eventually came out at dinner. "I guess I've got another ding in my jacket," Goren said before taking a sip of his wine.

"Maybe not. Ross didn't say anything more about it. Maybe he just wanted to know what happened."

Bobby tipped his head as he half-shrugged. "If you'd been there…"

"You would have done it anyway."

His eyes snapped to hers. "You think so?" He searched her eyes. "You know, Eames, maybe I do things sometimes that… that get me in hot water, but whenever I get that look from you… I always think twice about it."

She humored him with a smile.

"I respect you, Eames. If you're giving me… that look… then I know… I guess you don't know how many times you've stopped me."

"I have?"

"Sure, lots of times. I'm… you know, charging ahead, and then I see you and I have to… alter course. I would have been fired by now without you."

Alex chuckled. "Don't get your hopes up. You may be fired one of these days because of me," she teased. Bobby signaled for the check and they finished their drinks quietly. "I didn't like working without you, Bobby. I almost started talking to myself."

He gave her a warm smile. "That's the first sign of insanity," he told her.

"I mean, I could do the job without you, but I didn't like it. I need you."

He was thoughtful. "Symbiosis," he said, and Alex glanced up. "I need you and you need me."

"Maybe so," she agreed. Bobby paid the bill and they got up. A storm was brewing outside, and he helped her with her light jacket. They walked out together, his hand in the small of her back.

* * *

A week later, it was like they'd never been apart. They closed two cases and got caught up in a third, a gang murder that looked to be the work of a hit man from a Mexican drug cartel. The gang unit had offered some support, but they were out of it, now. The DEA people were hanging around all the time, making nuisances of themselves.

Bobby retreated to the public library. He sweet talked Karen into giving him a private study room there, and he turned it into his workspace. He'd called Alex and asked her to join him there.

She was grinning as she folded her arms and leaned one shoulder against the doorframe. "I suppose you'll be moving out of the bullpen soon," she said, admiring his creativity.

He gave her a quick smile and ushered her inside. "Uhm, I wanted you to see this," he said. He waved a hand at the things he'd tacked up to the wall.

It was an evidence board, same as they would have at 1PP. Bobby had covered the windows with paper, thanks to Karen, and they didn't have to worry about the general public being interested in what was on display there.

"He's got this… this connection with the 2Deep gang that Daniels told us about. They've been cooking meth for a couple years now, but with the Mexican connection, they'll be moving on to heroin and coke."

"You think they're hiding him?"

Bobby nodded. "I think so. That's big money for a small group like that. They help him out, they get a shot at the big time."

"All right, so where?"

Bobby sat down at his laptop. He pulled up a screen and turned it so she could see. "I think he's here," Bobby said, pointing.

"We'll have to let DEA know."

"We could surveille first, make sure."

She lowered her head in thought. She understood how annoyed he was with the Feds, but what he was suggesting was dangerous.

"We won't even get out of the car. Just strict surveillance."

Alex sighed. "All right, Bobby. I'll help you clean up." The two got to work restoring the room to its original condition.

Thirty minutes later, they were walking out, carrying boxes full of their notes and evidence.

"Leaving so soon?" Karen asked Bobby, and Alex swore she saw a bit of flirtation there.

"Yeah, thanks, uh… Karen."

"Be careful. They're saying Hurricane Sheila is going to hit Jersey tonight."

"That bad?" Alex asked.

Karen nodded. "They're saying the city might have power outages and all. Be careful."

"Okay, thanks a lot, Karen," Bobby told her.

As they left the shelter of the library, the wind hit them hard, making their hair fly wildly. Bobby tucked the boxes into the back of the SUV he'd gotten from motorpool. Alex went around to the driver's seat. It wasn't even 5 o'clock yet, but the sky was darkening.

"Good night to stay in the car," she told him.

Bobby nodded and gave her a smile, buckling his seat belt.

* * *

They picked up dinner and hit the restroom before driving out to stake-out 2Deep's headquarters. Bobby had his binder open on his leg and a pen light to work by.

Alex filled him in on news of her family to pass the time. Bobby always seemed to enjoy hearing about them, especially the kids. He had only met them a few times, but he had always won them over.

It started to rain, which made it much more difficult to do their job. The windshield was a mess, but they could still see out of the side windows.

"Maybe we should bag it," Alex said.

"No," Bobby told her. "If he's gonna risk going out, a night like this would be perfect for it."

Alex made a joke about their suspect needing to buy candles for the impending black-out. They did their best to keep it up, but the windows were starting to fog.

"Ho! I got him," Bobby said. Without another thought, he slipped out of the car, leaving Alex to roll her eyes and cuss under her breath as she did the same.

"So much for strictly surveillance," she said. She reached for her phone to call in backup, but Goren started to run, and she had to run to keep up with him.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Mendoza knew they were after him. He ran hard, yanking a gun out of the inside of his coat as he did. He ran right into the building they'd been watching and raced down the stairs, clearing the last 3 in one bound.

Goren and Eames were with him. Again, Eames reached for her phone, but Bobby was on the stairs, and vulnerable. She kept her mind on her partner.

The basement was mostly a storage room. There were metal shelves against the wall full of all kinds of things. Chemicals, cleaning supplies, ingredients for meth. The center of the room had a workspace with a mix of office desks and tables. The stained tops indicated that sometimes this place was a lab.

Alex was beside him. They walked carefully between the shelves and the desks and then she saw movement. She made a hand motion for Bobby and then stepped a few feet away from him.

A shot rang out, and Bobby saw Eames fall. He turned his head and a bullet blasted through a bottle on the shelf, spraying chemicals into his eyes and on his face. He cried out and moved wildly, struggling with the burning sensation.

Alex ignored her sore leg and lunged for Bobby. He was an easy target, the way he was staggering around at full height like that. She grabbed the tail of his suit coat. "Bobby, c'mon, get down!"

She pulled him down as another flurry of shots rang out. There was the definite sound of the door slamming closed. Bobby writhed on the floor, and Eames remembered a half a bottle of water she had tucked into her coat pocket earlier. She pulled it out. "Bobby! Bobby, I've got water to rinse your eyes. You've got to hold still. Hold your eyes open."

She physically moved his hand to his eye so he would understand what she wanted him to do. He held his eyelids open and she splashed some water over his eyeball. They did the same for the other eye, and then repeated until the water bottle was empty.

"Better?" she asked him, and he grunted as he started to wipe his eyes with his sleeve. She stopped him. "Don't do that. The chemical, it's on your suit coat."

With a nod, he stripped out of his jacket and blinked. He couldn't see anything, just a blur of light and color. "Eames?" he asked. "Are you okay?"

Alex sat back on her bottom with her legs out in front of her. Her hand was on her left leg, and blood was oozing onto her skin. "I think I'm shot," she said.

Bobby was no longer thinking of himself. He reached a hand out, groping for her, trying to find a way to help. "I can't see," he admitted. "Where are you hurt?"

"My leg," she told him, and used her free hand to direct his hand to where her hand was applying pressure. "Don't ask me how, but I think the bullet's still in there."

"Your hands are cold," he said. "You're in shock."

"I'm okay," she replied.

Bobby reached into his pocket and handed her his switchblade. Then he took off his button down shirt. "Here, hold this," he said to Alex. He stripped off his t-shirt and showed it to her. "Is this… the chemicals aren't on it, right?"

"No, it looks good," she said.

He handed her the t-shirt and took his button down back. "Cut it into strips and I'll bandage you." Bobby slipped his overshirt back on as Alex used the switchblade to cut the cotton of his t-shirt.

She had to guide his hands to the right spot, but he managed to wind the cotton strips around her leg.

"You okay?" He asked her.

"I'm okay. It's not bleeding much, I don't think." Alex looked over at him. "Bobby?"

"Yes, Alex?"

"Your eyes are swelling shut."

"Doesn't matter, I can't see anyway," he said. "Do you have your phone?"

She dug it out of her pocket and handed it to him. "Uh, Bobby? We need to move. That wet spot on the floor, the chemicals? It's getting wider."

He tucked her phone into his pants pocket and got to his feet. He rubbed his eyes quickly and then regretted it, because it made the burning sensation worse. Bobby reached down and she grasped his hand. He helped her to her feet.

Alex gasped as she tried to put her weight on her bad leg. Bobby hoisted her up firmly, and she talked him through it. "Straight ahead," Alex commanded. He did as she said, but his right leg bumped against a table. He stopped. "Sorry, I didn't see you were so close to that. Uhm, one step left and then straight ahead."

They made it about three steps forward and then Alex collapsed. He squatted down with her, reaching out gently with his hands. "Alex?"

Her breath caught and hitched. "I can't," she said. "I'm sorry."

"Well, we got away from the chemicals, right?"

"Yeah."

"It's okay, then."

He grabbed her phone out of his pocket and just as quickly handed it back to her. It was a smart phone, a smooth piece of glass. "There's no buttons to dial," he explained.

Alex took the phone and looked at the screen. "Doesn't matter," she said. "No service. I guess this basement is insulated enough…"

"Maybe my phone," he said, turning his head and trying to see through the swollen, blurry mess.

"No, Bobby. If there's no service, there's no service."

"But my phone has buttons."

"I can't walk again," Alex said. "And you'll probably get into the chemicals. Just leave it."

He sighed and nodded.

"How are your eyes?"

"Burning."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Goren kneeled down and turned his head as if he were looking around the room. "Where are the stairs?" he asked.

"Over there," she said. "Why?"

"Maybe if I get high enough on the stairs, the cell phone..."

"But you can't dial."

"I'll just keep, you know, guessing until I get it right."

"Maybe the voice activation?"

"Would it work?"

"We won't know until we get a signal. Bobby, you won't be able to tell if there's a signal."

He sighed angrily, and rubbed his hand through his hair. "Maybe we should just start shooting until somebody comes."

"Look, I'll go to the stairs with you. Just give me a minute."

* * *

Outside, the rain had begun. Winds at 70 mph and buckets of rain. The curbs were already swollen with rushing water. The streets were starting to flood in places.

Ross stared out his window at the blackened sky. Jeffries was in his office with him. "Hello, Sheila," Ross said. "Tell anybody who's caught up to knock off for the night. Where are Goren and Eames?"

"Last I heard, they were researching at the library."

"Oh. Good." Jeffries headed home and Ross called his boys. He had to make sure they were all set if the power went out. Then he headed down to the cafeteria to get some food while he still could. He was in for a long night at the office.

* * *

"It's bled through," Bobby said quietly, removing his fingers from her bandaged leg. "Are you feeling okay? Dizzy?"

"I'm fine, Goren."

He could tell by the snippiness in her tone that she wasn't. "It's hurting?"

"Yeah. A lot. It wasn't hurting like this before."

"The shock… is wearing off. Alex, we need to get some help. Get to a hospital."

"Yeah, before the power goes out."

"What's that supposed to mean? Is something happening?"

"The lights in here have flickered a couple of times, Bobby."

He shoved his hand into his pocket. "I think I still have my… yeah, there it is," he said. He pulled out the pen light and tucked it into her hand. "If the lights go off, use this."

"Good idea. I'll be able to see a couple inches in front of me."

"Better than nothing."

"I'm sorry, Bobby."

"You want to give it a try?"

"I guess so." They struggled to get her to her feet. She leaned hard against him, and found to her dismay that she was a little light-headed.

"Eames?"

"A minute, Bobby." She held him tightly until she thought she could manage it. Alex straightened up and looked ahead. "Okay, we have to turn, uh…right. A little. No, a little more."

"Maybe use the clock face? You know 2 o'clock, 3 o'clock?"

"Okay, uh… 2 o'clock." They turned together and Bobby stopped. "Yeah, that looks good. Now, straight ahead, but only maybe two steps."

He could tell right away that her condition was worse. She hobbled hard, and her hand was digging into his side so hard that it hurt. They stopped after two steps.

"Okay, there's something on the ground by your feet. An old sheet or something. Just don't trip on it. We need to keep moving forward." They hobbled a few more steps, Bobby feeling for the wadded fabric with his shoe as he passed it.

"Uhm, three more steps and we're at the bottom of the stairs."

They made the last three steps, but she grasped the rail and hung on desperately, trying to keep on her feet.

"Eames?" he asked her, not willing to let go.

"I'm… oh, Bobby," she said, and fainted.

If he hadn't already had his arm around her, he wouldn't have caught her. Terrified, he sank down to sit on the step with her in his arms. His hand explored her, looking for her wound. The cloth was saturated with blood. She had to stop moving, or the bleeding would never stop. He carefully laid her flat on the floor beside the steps.

Bobby groped and stumbled up the steps until his hand bumped the closed steel door at the top. This basement was a fortress. The gang hadn't wanted anyone to gain access to their drugs.

He dug the phone out of his pocket and prayed that he had a connection. He guess where the numbers 911 might be. He pushed the one button on the front of the phone and tried again. Then he growled in frustration. Without Eames, he couldn't use her phone.

Bobby slipped and stumbled down the steps, holding onto the bannister as he went. He paused at the bottom to find her. She didn't wake when he called her name. Bobby got to his feet and walked blindly across the room. He stopped at the sheet and dragged it back over to his partner. Then he went back once more, this time with a lot more difficulty. He ran into tables and desks. He found a wall and lost his bearings. Then he finally found one of the storage shelves. Carefully, he stepped forward, looking for his suit coat.

The slowly spreading pool of chemical had enveloped the jacket. He couldn't keep the stuff off his hands as he searched for the pockets in his coat. Finally, he found his cell phone. He dialed 911, but there was no service from this deep underground. Bobby tucked it into his pants pocket and tried to make his way back to the stairs.

"Bobby?" she called as she heard a crash and a grunt from him.

"I'm over here," he said.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to get to you," he said. "Keep talking to me."

"I can hear you stumbling. The phone didn't work?"

"Not without you. I got mine."

Another crash, and a curse.

"Are you okay?" Alex asked.

"I'm okay. Sing a song or something. I'll follow your voice."

"I don't know what to sing."

"God, anything, Eames! Something you sing for your nephew. 'This Old Man.'"

"I hate that song."

"Sing!"

"This old man, he played one, he played knick knack—"

He made his way closer, and only fell down once more.

"Give a dog a- Bobby! Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I… it's all right. Ow."

"Shit."

"What's wrong?" He asked, tentatively taking the last few steps towards her voice.

"The power just cut out. Okay, you're almost to me. Don't step on me."

He lowered himself to the ground and reached out with his hands to find her. "I got that sheet… to dress your wound again. You got the knife?"

"Yeah."

"Let me try and call for help. Here." He gave her the sheet and left her to do her work while he crawled up the steps. At the top of the stairs, he felt the buttons on his phone carefully, and dialed 911.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

With the flooding streets and the power outage causing chaos outside, it took a while for the police and the EMTs to get to them.

Bobby wrapped Alex's leg again, and then leaned against the bannister rail. He cradled her head in his lap and tried to keep from rubbing his eyes.

That's when the fear started to hit him. What if they were hurt worse than they thought? What if Alex didn't make it?

What if she couldn't walk again?

What if he never got his vision back?

He'd spent enough time being blind tonight to know that he didn't like it. His shins, his arms, and his knees were bruised.

His eyes were itching terribly, but he knew better than to rub them again. He squeezed them shut as best he could and more tears leaked out as his eyes tried to wash themselves.

He felt her chest rise and fall under his hand, and he knew she was still with him.

* * *

In the hospital, he felt that separation from her again. They'd treated Bobby's eyes, rinsing them repeatedly, and all he could think of was Alex, in surgery. They'd applied some kind of medicine and patched both eyes, then stuck him in a hospital room to listen, wait, and wonder.

"Goren," Ross said, his voice gentle.

"How's Eames?" Bobby asked quickly.

"Still in surgery. They say things are looking good for you, though."

"Yeah, they said with time my vision might come back. Captain, will you make sure somebody tells me when she's out of surgery?"

"I'll come tell you myself."

* * *

"Goren?"

"Captain?"

"She's in recovery. They said the prognosis is good."

Bobby sighed in relief. "When can I see her?"

"Family only while she's in intensive care."

"Captain, can you ask… her sister… to come see me?"

"All right." Ross stood over Goren's bed, looking at the man. He could see how frustrating it was for Goren already. Ross hoped the doctors were right, That Goren's vision would come back.

Still, it had taken his detectives a long time to get help. That was a long time for the chemicals to burn Goren's eyes.

"Detective… the DEA's none too happy with us right now."

"It wasn't supposed to go down like this," Bobby said.

"Obviously not."

"Look, it was my fault, all right? Eames, she was just… backing me up."

"Okay."

"Captain? I'm sorry, without… without seeing you… I don't know what you mean. Are you being sarcastic?"

Ross smiled gently. "No, I'm not. I don't have the whole story yet, but I know enough. You had a chance to get Mendoza, and you went for it. Just next time… call for backup before you chase him down."

"Thank you, sir." Bobby listened to the hospital staff bustling in the hallway outside and hoped he would have a 'next time.'"

* * *

"Hello, Bobby, it's me, Liz."

He smiled. "How is she?"

"She's stable. They're giving her a transfusion."

"She lost a lot of blood."

"Yes."

"I tried to… but we couldn't get help… I couldn't get help without her."

Liz stepped forward and took his hot hand in her cool ones. "She'll be all right, Bobby. How are you?"

"Won't know for sure until the bandages come off."

"I'll pray for you."

He cleared his throat and turned his head away. "Do you think you could help me… to see her?"

She squeezed his hand. "Yeah. I'd be glad to."

* * *

With no robe, Bobby was uncomfortable walking around in the hospital gown. He asked the staff and someone found him some scrubs he could wear. He changed into them and then walked carefully to the door of his room. He pulled it open, and Liz was waiting for him.

"You ready, Bobby?"

"Yeah," he said, nodding. She took his arm in hers and they walked slowly down the hall.

After an elevator ride and another long walk in a hall, Liz paused. "This is her room," she said. "Dad's in there, now."

Liz led Bobby into Alex's room.

"Bobby!" John Eames called out warmly.

"Hello, Mr. Eames," Bobby said.

Liz moved Bobby sideways to the visitor's chair which was beside the bed. "Sit down," she told him.

Bobby eased down into the seat and Liz let go of him. Just as he was about to ask, Liz took his hand again and placed it over Alex's. "Now, be careful. She has an IV in this arm."

"Okay." Bobby squeezed his partner's fingers. "How does she look?" he asked her family.

"She looks good. She's a little pale, but they said she should be just fine."

"Has she… come around yet?"

"She came to in recovery, and she asked about you," Mr. Eames said. "And then she was awake briefly this morning. They've got her doped up right now. They don't want her to move and get the leg bleeding again."

"Well, Dad, are you ready for that cup of coffee yet?" Liz asked. "Bobby can stay with Alex for a few minutes."

John Eames got to his feet and cleared his throat. "Sure, Liz." As the man walked past, he gave Bobby's shoulder a pat.

"We'll be back soon," Liz called out, and they left the room.

Bobby let the silence envelop him. He gently ran his fingers from her hand up to where the IV went in, then past it all the way to her shoulder. He stood and continued until his hand was in her hair, stroking it back.

He thought again about their conversation over dinner. Symbiosis. Yes. When he was without her, he felt incomplete.

* * *

Bobby still couldn't see, but they sent him home. Logan gave him a ride, and then irritated him by insisting on walking him all the way to his door. Bobby grumbled the necessary thanks and shut the door a little too hard.

He started across the room confidently. He knew his own place. Within seconds, he had rammed into the coffee table and was sprawled on the couch, holding his shin.

Bobby let out a long string of pent-up curses, and then got up once again. Carefully, this time, he felt his way to his bedroom.

* * *

"I can see out of one eye, now," he said, holding the phone with a tilted head. "It's blurry, but it's getting better."

"How do you do that? It would make me sick or something."

"Well, when it bothers me, I put the patch on. I'm a pirate, Eames."

"I never saw a double-patched pirate, Goren."

They laughed a moment. "How are you today?" he asked her.

"Still hurts like hell. They said they're gonna get me in physical therapy tomorrow."

"The pain meds aren't working?"

"They just don't last. It's okay, Bobby."

"When will you get out?"

"They're saying maybe a few more days."

"That's good!"

"Yeah. I'm really sick of this place, that's for sure."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

It had been a long two weeks. Alex was walking now, but with a walker. She felt like an old woman.

Liz was her cheerleader. She decorated the damn thing with pink and purple ribbons. Bobby had Mike drop by with some NYPD stickers to beef it up a little. It looked ridiculous, but at least she didn't look like an old lady.

They said she would only need the walker a week or so.

The good news was that she was headed home. Liz had come by with a bag of clothes and waited around while they completed the discharge paperwork. She seemed a little too excited.

"What?" Alex asked.

"Nothing!"

"C'mon, Liz, I'm a cop. People lie to me all the time. I can tell you're lying."

"It's a surprise, so don't ask me again."

"A surprise. Great. I'll probably see a picture of me and my walker on the cover of Vogue or something."

"No, darn! Would you have liked that?! I so should have done that!"

Alex rolled her eyes at her sister, but she smiled. Then she painfully eased down into the chair beside the bed.

Finally, they released her and Liz drove her home.

* * *

As Alex rooted through her purse for her keys, Liz walked past and rang the doorbell. Alex looked up. Someone was here? Waiting for her?

The door swung open, but whoever was inside was hidden behind the door. Alex struggled with her walker and finally picked it up and set it inside. She took two short steps, and a very happy Bobby swooped in and kissed her cheek.

"Bobby!" she cried in surprise. He only wore one patch today. He had been calling her every day since he went home from the hospital, and though she knew everything about his recovery, he was a sight for sore eyes. Alex paused behind her walker and held out her arms. He moved in closer, and she hugged him. As he drew back, she put her hand on his cheek. "Now you look like a pirate."

Bobby grinned, and let her walk past him. He helped her sit down on the couch, and then sat beside her. Alex shoved the ugly walker to the side, out of the way.

Liz addressed Bobby. "Everything from the hospital is in this bag. Alex, your next dose of medicine is at 4 o'clock. Don't forget."

"Oh, believe me, Liz, I won't," Alex said with a grimace. Her leg was already throbbing.

Liz bent down and gave her sister a hug, and then gave Bobby one, too. Bobby followed her to the door and locked it when she left.

"Oh, I can't believe I'm finally home," Alex said, closing her eyes and resting her head against the back of the couch.

Bobby was at her side again. "You look good." His eyes strayed to the hideous walker. "You know, except for that." He grinned as she smacked him playfully. He knew what a sore spot the walker was with her.

"We're quite the pair," she said, smiling as she looked into his unpatched eye. "How's your vision? Can you see clearly?"

"The left eye is good, back to normal. The right eye is still pretty blurry." He lifted the patch to test if his words were true. As he replaced the patch, he caught the look she gave him. "What?"

"But it's going to be all right?"

"The Opthalmologist thinks so. She said just to give it time. That eye caught a little more of the chemicals than the other, I guess."

"That's the eye we were on when the water ran out," Eames said.

"That, too."

"I'm sorry, Bobby."

He looked over at her. "Sorry? You saved my life, Eames. And my sight." He reached over to touch her cheek, then. "I've been doing a lot of thinking," he said.

Alex chuckled. "Nothing new there."

Bobby smiled at her humor, but continued. "It's not easy being blind. I bumped into a lot of stuff, you know, when I had both eyes patched up."

She nodded, listening to him.

His hand continued to stroke her cheek as he spoke. "It occurred to me that, really, I'm like that all the time. I think I know where I'm going and I just barrel ahead and most of the time it works out for me but sometimes I just crash into something and fall really hard."

Alex tilted her head a little, entertaining his insight. She could feel the tips of his fingers against her hairline.

"And you know, just like you guided me to the stairs in that basement… you guide me all the time. Without you, Alex, I'd be falling down a lot. And Eames, uh… Alex… I realized…" Bobby looked down a moment, and then back up at his partner. "I love you."

Her breath hitched and she gaped at him.

Bobby shook his head, but he didn't move away. He kept his hand against her cheek, the tips of his fingers in her hair. "And I know that it's probably only me and, you know, only a kind of a dream that could never be, but—"

"Who says it can never be?"

It was Bobby's turn to cock his head in surprise.

"Do you know how much you mean to me?" Alex moved her own hand back off his shoulder and up to his jaw. "It's more than just the work, Bobby. My Dad said the first thing I said when I woke up after surgery was your name. I can feel it when you're with me, Bobby. It's like a piece of me is missing when you're gone… an arm or a leg. I can function, but God! It's so hard. These last two weeks… that call from you every day… sometimes that was the only thing that kept me from giving up."

She stared into his eye, then, and let him ponder the significance of what she'd said. "And this? Now?" She leaned forward, and he met her lips with his own. A stabbing pain shot through her leg and she had to pull back.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," she said. "Just pulled it a little."

"I wish I could have been with you," he said quietly. "At the hospital."

She shrugged. "I'm just glad you thought to call."

"Alex," he said, slipping off the couch to his knees in front of her. He put his left hand on her thigh and his right on the couch. Then slowly, tenderly, Bobby leaned in and kissed her.

"I love you, Bobby," Alex whispered. Her hands drifted through his hair and she kissed him again. Then Alex grinned, a touch of mischief in her eyes.

"What?" He grinned back.

"I never kissed a pirate before."

THE END

* * *

A/N Thanks so much for reading. I love to read your reviews, and find out what you think. Thanks to CherylWB for trying to teach me English. Maybe someday I will learn about numbers and time and percentages and stuff.


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